# Trump now wants to use military force to take the Panama Canal and Greenland **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 7, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691 "2025-01-07T20:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/781 "2026-01-17T14:52:11Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Do these guys seriously think that Russia and/or China are actually interested in “Taking over” Greenland? MILLIONS of Trumpists truly believe this, yes. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/782 "2026-01-17T14:55:44Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > There’s got to be a bridge too far…but I’ve long stopped guessing where that point might be. I There isn’t. Sorry, I don’t for the life of me understand why people keep saying this; how is it not obvious by now that he’s a cult figure? Did you know it’s becoming common for Trumpists to call him “Daddy?” ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/783 "2026-01-17T14:56:03Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I fear that if that does happen, though, his fanbase will do a “Billy Madison,” and insist that it’s cool to pee your pants, and start wetting their own drawers in public. I want to return to a world where _that_ statement is ridiculous hyperbole. Meanwhile … > **[Trump Supporters Wore Diapers at Rallies?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-diapers-over-dems/)** > > Images showed people holding signs that said "Real men wear diapers." ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/784 "2026-01-17T16:57:19Z")
Trump has announced 10% tariffs on all goods from a number of European countries including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland until “such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the US. On 1st June it will be raised to 25%. This is a very convenient distraction from Epstein and Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/785 "2026-01-17T17:27:54Z")
Time for the rest of the world to cut off the US until the nutcase is gone (never gonna happen but hey) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/786 "2026-01-17T19:47:58Z")
Krugman’s brief Substack today: > # [The Stupidest Trump Move So Far](https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=277517&post_id=184888400&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=4y8eu&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MzE1NjcwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxODQ4ODg0MDAsImlhdCI6MTc2ODY3Mzg3MSwiZXhwIjoxNzcxMjY1ODcxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjc3NTE3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.3n6D6dw6_k1xl9UjuBdFJ1A4QD49scBAWG1rY1QOT4Y) > > ### Just kill me now. Or tariff me. Whatever. > > … > > Some quick thoughts, in no particular order: > > · European deterrence has worked. This is basically a howl of frustration on the part of a mad dictator who has just realized that he can’t send in the Marines > > · A tariff to promote territorial expansion is clearly illegal, under any sane interpretation of U.S. trade law. This is on the Supreme Court, which is obviously dithering while the world burns > > · Trump thinks, or at least wants to believe, that tariffs are a Veg-O-Matic policy that can accomplish all goals. They slice! They dice! They eliminate budget deficits! They reindustrialize! They intimidate foreigners! > > · These are nations that allegedly made trade deals with Trump. They’ve just learned what they should have known from the beginning: a deal with Trump lasts until he feels like breaking it > > · Greenland? We’re going to demolish what’s left of our credibility for _Greenland_? Accompanied by this striking picture: [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4MxA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fceb420a2-3bbf-497d-93a2-4bd998e655fc_1432x1007.png?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4MxA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fceb420a2-3bbf-497d-93a2-4bd998e655fc_1432x1007.png?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/787 "2026-01-17T20:33:15Z")
Look, I know it’s not much, but we’re looking for any sign of life in this critically ill democracy. > **[Republican says he would ‘lean toward’ impeaching Trump if he invades Greenland](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/don-bacon-trump-greenland-impeachment-b2901373.html)** > > Just 17 percent of Americans support Trump’s push to acquire Greenland ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/788 "2026-01-17T20:36:52Z")
> A GOP lawmaker said he’d consider [supporting an impeachment of President Donald Trump](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/chris-murphy-trump-impeachment-senate-b2898423.html) if he launches a U.S. invasion of Greenland I feel like he should be impeached before, not after, he invades Greenland. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/789 "2026-01-17T20:48:57Z")
The fact that he’s falling back on tariffs yet again suggests that he’s been told an invasion isn’t viable. His insistence that everything be “perfect” means he won’t accept a fight that would be long and difficult and involve US casualties, so the military leadership have probably managed to convince him that that’s what an invasion would entail. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/790 "2026-01-17T21:14:24Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > > [@joebuck20](#): > > > > I fear that if that does happen, though, his fanbase will do a “Billy Madison,” and insist that it’s cool to pee your pants, and start wetting their own drawers in public. > > I want to return to a world where _that_ statement is ridiculous hyperbole. > > Meanwhile … > > [Trump Supporters Wore Diapers at Rallies? | Snopes.com](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-diapers-over-dems/) When Trump had a bandage on his ear from being grazed by a bullet, many of his cultists wore bandages, too, as a sort of cult fashion statement. These are not bright people. These are people who have lost their way in life and are either extremely disturbed or completely insane. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/791 "2026-01-17T21:18:03Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > like him pissing his pants on live television ‘Sir Knight, I have pissed in my pants, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.’ ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/792 "2026-01-17T21:27:06Z")
Is there going to be much “European deterrence”? Has anyone put up, say, a single battalion? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/793 "2026-01-17T23:26:08Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Has anyone put up, say, a single battalion? No, this would be utterly pointless. There are many other ways to deter this madness. - A limited number of NATO special forces to protect Greenland government officials from kidnapping attempts. - Plans for an insurgency with arms and drones widely distributed - Back channel discussions about how Europe, Canada and others can dump US Treasuries rapidly, causing economic chaos - Working closely with the less insane Republicans, clearly explaining the consequences. Sticking a battalion in Greenland would simply be an easy target for Dear Leader and the Keg-Master. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/794 "2026-01-17T23:45:06Z")
I think the only argument that would have persuaded Trump would be to point out that enough US troops would defy such an order that the invasion could not be done. Otherwise man-child Trump would be saying, “We have XXXX number of warplanes, warships, how can we not take that place with so few people opposing us” ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/795 "2026-01-18T00:28:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I think the only argument that would have persuaded Trump would be to point out that enough US troops would defy such an order that the invasion could not be done. Or some kind of threat to his money; I don’t know what Europe could do along those lines, though. But Trump would certainly find the prospect of losing even ten dollars of his own money more worrisome than the possibility of any number of _other_ people losing their lives. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/796 "2026-01-18T00:39:14Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I think the only argument that would have persuaded Trump would be to point out that enough US troops would defy such an order that the invasion could not be done. Trump is EXTREMELY averse to the idea of US casualties in combat. Flag-draped coffins makes for bad TV and that’s the one thing he’s genuinely savvy about. He’s backed out of military strikes before when told casualties would be unavoidable. When multiple soldiers were injured and concussed by an Iranian missile strike in 2020, he struggled to downplay it as “a few people got a headache”. It’s why he refused to commit to actual regime change in Venezuela instead of just snatching Maduro and leaving his government intact. He wants any strike he orders to be a “perfect attack” where no Americans die and victory is total. It’s why he insists his strike on Iran last year “completely destroyed” their nuclear arsenal when no such thing happened, and why he won’t order a strike now. If he was told that annexing Greenland would require a long-term occupation and American deaths would be unavoidable, that’s more than enough to make him chicken out. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/797 "2026-01-18T02:57:52Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Look, I know it’s not much, but we’re looking for any sign of life in this critically ill democracy. > > [Republican says he would ‘lean toward’ impeaching Trump if he invades Greenland | The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/don-bacon-trump-greenland-impeachment-b2901373.html) That’s Don Bacon. He is NOT running for re-election and probably is the most moderate Republican in Congress. He does not count. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/798 "2026-01-18T03:15:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If he was told that annexing Greenland would require a long-term occupation and American deaths would be unavoidable, that’s more than enough to make him chicken out. If told by an admiral or general that American deaths are unavoidable, Trump would ask Hegseth to get rid of that officer and find one who can put together a casualty-free plan. As for long-term occupation, that’s what Trump wants. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/799 "2026-01-18T15:42:47Z")
Isn’t it funny how he said that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine on his watch but unless you give him Greenland then either Russia or China would take it over? I think his problem is looking at a Mercator projection map where Greenland looks about as big as South America. We all know how obsessed he is with size. Nice to see that he’s getting pushback on Greenland. For the first time in his life, he’s getting told “no” and the big-assed shitty diaper-wearing wimp can’t handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/800 "2026-01-18T15:47:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > For the first time in his life, he’s getting told “no” It is not the first time. It reminds him of his father. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > and the big-assed shitty diaper-wearing wimp can’t handle it. Exactly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=41)